Fred Schonenberg

**Supporting the Future of the Creator Economy** The newly launched Congressional Creator Caucus aims to champion the creator economy, projected to reach an impressive $500 billion by 2027. With backing from platforms like Patreon and YouTube, this initiative may reshape how creators engage with legislation and policy. For Family Offices, understanding this dynamic sector could unveil new investment opportunities. How can Family Offices better position themselves to benefit from the unprecedented growth of the creator economy? #investing #innovation #familyoffice #finance

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Anthropic is investing $100M in its Claude Partner Network, and is setting the tone for new partner programs in the AI era. Yes, Anthropic is partnering with the biggest names in tech and services, but they also "see a massive opportunity for smaller partners and smaller businesses looking to add Claude to their technology stacks", which should be welcome news to the many boutique and AI-native services firms looking to get into this ecosystem. This CRN interview with Steve Corfield, Anthropic's head of partners, is worth a read. https://lnkd.in/e6WW3TzM Steve's comment that they want to "demonstrate that Anthropic is the most committed AI company in the world to the partner ecosystem" is one of the many reasons they're a key player in our Tercera 30 research.

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🚨NEW EPISODE: Recorded live at FUTURE TITANS 2026 - Jeff Perry of Carta sat down with the iconic Seth Levine, co-founder of Foundry. Seth has been in venture for 25 years, built Foundry from scratch as an emerging manager himself, and has backed about 50 emerging manager funds through his fund of funds. He has genuinely seen every side of this table. They went deep on building Foundry, why VCs are in the influence business, not the decision business, and why the concentration problem in venture is not only bad for LPs, but also for the innovation ecosystem overall. And why Seth's new book, Capital Evolution, is so important for the future of America. 🎧 Links to listen... Apple: https://lnkd.in/ehQUQ2EM Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eU4FExpg

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I am very excited to announce the integration of Screen Engine/ASI's Tapestry Research and Coherency divisions. This combination scales our position in the #marketresearch space creating an world-class team of over 50 experienced researchers with a focus on creating unparalleled outcomes for clients in the #entertainment, #financialservices and #tech industries. The integration also brings together data and technology investments into a single platform, joining our Daisy #AI researcher with our LoveQuotient brand analytics methodology (just to name a few key products)! It's been an exciting journey partnering with Ian Wright, Kevin Thompson, Paul Le Blanc, Jeff Jacobs, Mike Ripka, Jemma Ralton, and Stewart Thomson to achieve this goal (to name just a few individuals). I also want to congratulate Jeff Meleski and Steve Markov on a achieving well deserved retirement. https://lnkd.in/d9qtSaV8

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**Apple's Strategic Acquisition: A Game-Changer in Video Editing?** Apple's recent acquisition of MotionVFX highlights a significant strategic move to enhance its suite of creative tools and better compete with Adobe's offerings. As a General Partner at ElevenX Capital, we recognize how such acquisitions reflect market trends and consumer demands, prompting investors to reassess their portfolios in the tech space. How do you see this acquisition affecting competition in the creativity software market? #investing #innovation #venturecapital #entrepreneurship

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Explore the inspiring journeys of founders from Plend, BILT, Investbay, and beyond as they share what it took to prepare their startups for successful fundraising. In this video, hear firsthand how crafting clear, compelling pitches and setting strategic foundations helped them take confident steps toward growth. These stories show what’s possible when vision meets preparation—an inside look at what it takes to turn ambitious goals into reality.   Watch it here ▶️   #StartupJourney #FounderStories #InvestmentReady #VisionAndGrowth #FundraisingPath #StartupSuccess #InspiringEntrepreneurs #BuildingTheFuture

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Proud to share a big milestone for SuperCircle - congrats to the team on their $24M Series A led by Foundry ventures! Retail’s waste problem has become unavoidable. Returns, excess inventory, and unsellables now cost U.S. retailers $50B+ annually, and regulation is forcing brands to finally account for what happens after products fall out of the supply chain. Their full-stack, AI-powered platform sits inside the mess — factories, warehouses, stores, returns — turning waste from a cost center into a value generator. Today they work with 75+ brands and have already diverted 6M+ textiles from landfill. Congrats to Founders Chloe Marie Songer, Stuart Ahlum and Phong Nguyen and the entire SuperCircle team!!

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Music startup aBreak challenges AI playlists, relying on humans to handpick the next big artist The Maryland company curates rising indie musicians based on live shows and career growth, not the streams and clicks that algorithms favor. To read more about aBreak Music, a TEDCO portfolio company, check out the Technical.ly story here: https://lnkd.in/e8Hwr_EB #music #TEDCO #artists

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Founders build companies. Ecosystems build founders. 🚀 Behind every "overnight success" is a powerhouse of support, the people who provide the capital, the coaching, and the connections to bridge the gap from a raw idea to a fundable venture. The Reed Smith LLP ROCKY Award by Tech Coast Venture Network (TCVN) is our way of recognizing these pillars of our community. As a Founder’s Choice Award, it is unique because the winners are chosen by the entrepreneurs themselves and the TCVN board. Who we celebrate: We honor the "rock-solid" individuals who help founders become investor-ready, including: * Angel Investors: For providing the critical early-stage belief and capital. * Mentors & Advisors: For guiding founders through the highs and lows of the journey. * Community Champions: For building the infrastructure that makes our ecosystem thrive. By honoring our champions, we ensure the next generation of innovators has a foundation to build upon. Watch this video for a behind the scenes look at the pre-show set up. 👉 Want to see who's leading the way? Check out the full press list to see this year's incredible winners and nominees. #TCVN #ReedSmith #StartupEcosystem #AngelInvestors #Mentorship #FoundersFirst #CommunityChampions

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Spent time with David Nussbaum at the Proto office and it was truly exciting The entertainment industry is at an inflection point, and most people haven’t felt it yet. Presence is becoming programmable. Experience is becoming scalable. The wall between an artist and their audience is getting thinner every year, and AI agents are about to make it disappear entirely. We’re moving from tools that assist to agents that act. That shift changes everything about how talent gets discovered, booked, and experienced. The best founders in entertainment right now aren’t asking how technology fits into the existing model. They’re asking what becomes possible when the old model is gone. Exciting time to be building. Thank you David for having me !!

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📝 Lessons from the niche frontier Alisa Cromer runs NichePublisher.biz, a resource for scrappy media founders, and she’s spent years tracking what actually works across B2B, city mags, alt weeklies, and hyperlocal startups. In the latest episode of Small Press, Big Ideas, we unpack: - Why newsletters might be your most underutilized revenue channel - What local media can learn from B2B - How to stop fearing technology and start using it - Tactical AI tools for audience building, content ops, and more 🎧 Listen today in your app of choice - links in comments

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This is probably one of the most actionable episodes ever of Dare to Launch. Because Bari Baumgardner walks you through a 10,000-foot strategy for creating a high-ticket funnel that takes your ideal customers from: “Wait, you can do that?” to “I could do that…” to “I have to do that!” What’s great about Bari’s approach is that you don’t need to create a new course or program… Instead, this is about depth – giving your audience an opportunity to go deeper with you, so they actually master what you teach. If you already have a course – or even just an idea for one – Bari shows you how to turn it into a richer, deeper experience – and a premium, in-demand offer. And she really walks you through how to do it – including the “3 x 3” system many big names (including me) use to make high-ticket offers. This is a super valuable and actionable episode. Check out the full conversation on YouTube – or your favorite podcast player. https://lnkd.in/gxpCHzXc

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The number of influencer-backed brands raising large rounds continues to grow. But is the # of followers an indicator of long-term success? My wife is a published author, and in the book world, it’s been the case for many years that publishers can be more drawn to the number of followers an author has than the quality of their writing. It’s sad, but it’s the reality. Followers = awareness and distribution. It seems like consumer investing is heading in the same direction. A few recent examples: - Khloud protein popcorn by Khloe Kardashian just raised an oversubscribed $12M round. It’s not the first protein-infused snack product – we’ve seen protein chips, protein cookies, protein pop tarts. Would a protein-infused popcorn not founded by an influencer be able to raise $12M in today's market? - Prime sports drink, backed by Logan Paul and KSI, exploded out of the gates. But after its breakout first two years, sales have been on a steady decline. On the flip side, other influencer-founded brands like Once Upon a Farm and Skims have taken off and sustained growth. But I’d argue that both of those brands have really strong product-market fit with great products, not just great followers. Here’s where I land: Followers can massively accelerate a brand and short-circuit trial/awareness (hugely valuable), but the quality of the product still matters more in the long run. Because at the end of the day, it's difficult to build a sustaining business and get to a big exit on trial alone. You need repeat purchase. People might buy something once because an influencer suggested it, but they buy it a second, third and fourth time because they love the product. Curious to hear others’ take – is follower count or product quality a better determinant of long term success? #consumerbrands #investing #productmarketfit #founders #growth

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Most people see AI for kids as personalized stories. That framing is too small. The bigger opportunity is persistent character memory, evolving worlds, and children as creators instead of passive consumers. The generative AI opportunity is to create less to consume. When a story remembers you and grows with you, it becomes a generative platform. John Kobs and the Giant team understand this deeply. As a girl dad, he lives the customer experience every day, at home, on playgrounds and at school pickup. It’s a conversation we parents have everyday about preparing our kids for the world of AI. That perspective shows up in the product and in the ambition behind it. As a girl dad, I can relate. That is why we backed Giant. AI native storytelling will create the next generation of media franchises, built interactive from day one.

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What would 50 qualified leads a week mean for your business? Steven Schneider reveals the strategy that transformed one client’s M&A pipeline—and how it’s still paying off a year later. You’ll learn how to filter for quality, scale what works, and build a system that never stops delivering. #IntentionalMarketing #B2BGrowth #EPICImpact P.S. Listen if you’re ready to shift from chasing leads to attracting them.

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Linkby’s “Performance PR” model flips the traditional content playbook on its head. Instead of paying for ad space and hoping for impact, Linkby lets brands: - Brief premium publishers in real time - Have editorial teams create native articles - Pay only when readers click through Why it works: 1) Publishers get freedom to write in their own voice → more engaging content 2) Brands get scale, trust, and measurable results 3) Audiences get stories that actually matter to them It’s how challenger brands stand shoulder-to-shoulder with global giants, without the giant budget. Adrian Fagerlund, cofounder and CRO of Linkby, breaks down the model and the lessons in scaling it globally in Ep#29 Listen → https://lnkd.in/eEXRGTFg Watch→ https://lnkd.in/e_EjBZfX Subscribe → https://lnkd.in/e4nu_exn

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The latest Studio Stack newsletter dropped on Friday — and in it, I unpack why community is the most underutilized competitive advantage in most organizations but ESPECIALLY in the Venture Studio sphere. 💡 87% of leaders say community is critical to their company’s mission 📈 79% report it’s directly impacting business results Yet most studios still treat it like a side project. In the article, I break down what actually works in 2025: → Build where people already “play” → Force connection (because they won’t do it themselves) → Curate, don’t just collect 'If you’re serious about standing out in a sea of 1,000+ studios, this one’s for you. 📰 Read the full issue — packed with new frameworks, launches, jobs, and insights from Studio builders and thought leaders across the world. 👉 https://lnkd.in/eZ2AtsDy

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Live view of dreamers moving from skepticism to building GPT's To say today was rewarding is an understatement. The Alpha Cohort with FM's partnership with The Nexus at Trilith Studios has it's first outputs: 12 entrepreneurs built 12 custom GPT's that deliver value for their business. We estimated that each of us combined for over 40 hours of productivity savings per week across the group. From skeptics to builders, that is the promise of #AI Lets go!

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